The Worker Bees

Determined not to let new coworkers thwart her optimism and belief in the human spirit, she opens true feelings as real characters step out from behind the facades. Each has concerns, breaking points, beliefs, morals. But some morals are less equal than others. What’s a new employee to do?

Originally produced in 2001 as a limited release VHS and screened at the 2002 Artomatic, The Worker Bees was Absurd Productions Pictures first feature packaged for release. When filming wrapped and after airing in Washington DC, production of Taste of Desperation would begin. Gail Maureen Hanson, one of the feature players in Taste of Desperation, stars in The Worker Bees and Mark Byrne plays an overbearing boss.

UPDATE The Worker Bees has been converted to digital format for release with the Two Many DVD, leading a section called The Shorts, celebrating APP’s short films! This film was originally released in 2001 on VHS. Once scheduled for DVD release as a second feature with Forbidden Room, production delays put The Worker Bees back on the shelf until now. Sourced from the original S-VHS master, APP made every effort to maintain the original structure of the film, including the original credits and countdown bars. While the dialog track was clean and clear, the master source file did not have the 2nd audio track with the sound effects. Rather than using a degraded version as source file, the sound effects were re-created based on the original.

As sound effects required a total re-do anyway, swapping out sounds either too quiet, weak, or over bearing became the exception to following the “original” cut. For example, the sound of heavy breathing and a heartbeat accompanied Collins in the original walk-in on the VHS version. The breathing caused a lot of confusion as to whether or not she was being stalked. So in the clean-up, we just went with the heartbeat. The bombing sounds were also upgraded and the gunshot eliminated. The bee and ocean sounds pretty much follow the original. Other than the new sound effects, the only other changes made were minor cuts due to color and sound correction.

Also with the Two Many/Worker Bees DVD: The original VHS package has been captured in a short video along with sound fx from the film. View this rarely seen piece of memorabilia! Plus Director Mark Byrne at the 2013 Amazicon, discussing the varied genres APP has released. And the re-release of artFilm, the short originally presented as part of TOD Vol II, now as a stand-alone piece.